[hr][hr][i][h1]The Blessed Three, Jiao-Long & Chunhua Liu, [color=forestgreen]Veronica Davis[/color], & The Black Hound.[/h1][/i][hr][hider=Kill la Kill OST - Blumenkranz (nZk ver)][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cM4SZ6AzfMY[/youtube][/hider][hr] [i][u]Somewhere in Prince-Edfield.[/u][/i] Jiao-Long and his wife were being escorted through the Family's headquarters... a place he was familiar with, given that he was trained here, but he was not pleased to return. The Hound was right behind them, the M60 in his hands urged them to keep moving forward; walking at their side was Veronica, wearing the same red dress as before. Even though he knew that they wouldn't dare hurt him him... he peered at Chunhua, and frowned. He wished that she wouldn't have gotten involved, but that was the sad truth. He'd have to find a way to get them out of this, even if he had to play along with whatever insane scheme they have cooked up. They were lead through dark chambers... that definitely had to be underground. Eventually, they stopped at a giant metal door, and at the helm of it was two well-dressed people - a man and a woman - that Jiao-Long immediately knew were the Secretaries. How horrifying.... they were either devoted by [i]choice[/i], or brainwashing. They both bowed and said, "The Blessed Three have been awaiting your arrival." They stepped aside, and the doors opened wide. Jiao-Long and his wife were practically shoved in before the doors were firmly closed. The first thing they saw was this gigantic metal chamber of a room. Like, it was so [i]enormous[/i] that Jiao-Long and his wife were practically ants within it. The room had a network of wires and pipes running through it - some of which were so gigantic that it was much larger than a human being. Some of these pipes were transporting a mysterious green liquid from one part of the Family's base, to another. There were a maze of large computer servers, along with a several other large metal fixtures. However, most of these pipes and wires could be easily avoided if one were to take one of the many metal pathways. However, what really caught Jiao-Long and his wife's eyes was the giant glowing tower. The tower that looked like [url=https://www.cgstud.io/imgd/l/55700dcdccff750b518b4567/4386.jpg]nuclear reactor of sorts[/url]. It was frightening, and it touched the top of this giant room. But... it was incomplete. It was still missing many parts. Even Veronica was surprised by this device.... [i]So this is the machine?[/i] She asked herself, as she looked up at it. She narrowed her eyes. "Keep moving." The Hound lightly bumped Jiao-Long's back with the gun, and that was enough to urge them to keep walking down the pathway. Eventually, they noticed a large mechanical component floating up into the air, surrounded by electricity, being placed into the tower. At the very base of the tower was the bulky frame of Blake Schmidt, the more slender build of Julia O'Sullivan, and the tall body that belonged to Ezekiel Anagnos, surrounded by electricity. When Jiao-Long approached, the two turned around. "Ah! Jiao-Long," Blake said with a warm smile on his face as he looked at Jiao-Long. "You're here! Are you ready to begin work on our glorious machine?" Jiao-Long looked up at it in surprise. "What... what is it?" Jiao-Long said. "The [i]Machine.[/i]" Blake answered as he slid in close to Jiao-Long, and put his arm around his shoulder, and looked him longingly in the eyes. "Sorry for the unimaginative name - we just couldn't decide on a name! Think of it as a [i]symbolic[/i] machine..." He laughed, before he pushed away from Jiao-Long, and leaned back, clawing his hands. "...And with it, we will take over the world!" Blake loudly announced, followed by the most maniacal laughter ever. Before he broke "character," and reverted back to regular Blake, "...Haha just playing with you." Julia was quite amused by the supervillain act, and Jiao-Long couldn't help but awkwardly laugh. He slid back in towards Jiao-Long and wrapped his arm around him again. Becoming more relaxed as he casually said, "...We already rule the world." He laughed. Jiao-Long stared at it in disbelief. "Then [i]what[/i] does it do?" "To explain what it does, I'll have to explain [i]how[/i] it works," Blake said as he finally released Jiao-Long, and took a few steps away until his back was to the machine. "To start, it is more of a generator that fuels another machine - which is completed by the way. It constantly funnels Metahuman energy into these devices, and in turn, they will transmit the Metahuman energy globally. Bathing every single man, woman, and [i]child[/i] in this energy." "Are you saying...?" Jiao-Long trailed off, only to get his sentence completed by Blake. "Effectively turning everyone on earth into a Metahuman, yes... Effectively [i]uplifting[/i] humanity." Blake said, before he decided to explain the reasoning behind his glorious plan. "You see, Jiao-Long... so many people fret over who has this gene, and who doesn't. I can see the [i]jealousy[/i] in their eyes. It's silly... especially when the line between so called "Man" and "Metahuman" is [i]much[/i] thinner than most people realize." He looked at his nails. Both Julia and Ezekiel had their own reactions. Ezekiel turned his head downwards, and bared his teeth slightly at Blake (While he was too fixated on Jiao-Long)... before it turned into a grin. Julia rolled her eyes up into her head. Suddenly thrusting a finger into the air, Blake said, "... What's more, is that it'll enhance the abilities of existing Metahumans. So, it's a win-win, for everyone." "This is your grand scheme? Turn everyone into Metahumans? Then what?" Jiao-Long asked. "Ah... Jiao-Long, you forget something about the Family," Blake said as he put a finger under Jiao-Long's chin. "We are an organization of [i]science[/i]. We benefit the world. Even if the world doesn't want it now, they'll be thanking us later." Giving everyone powers was a terrible idea in Jiao-Long's eyes - he believed that there were enough power-hungry maniacs in the world. "You can't be serious! Imagine what will happen!" "Great things... like I said, the world will thank the Family," Blake said. "But, how does it feel to be apart of this glorious dream?" "I... I can't believe you want me to work on this - a machine that goes against all my beliefs!" "But, Jiao-Long, don't you know?" Blake said. "Beliefs... ideologies... they shift like the waves... One day you may believe that powers should be reserved for the worthy, and the other you may feel everyone should have a... [i]taste...[/i]" [i]But, is the world ready for someone having a taste of power?[/i] Jiao-Long thought to himself. "Truly, whether or not you believe it is the right thing to do is irrelevant!" Blake loudly announced, before he turned over to Chunhua. "...Not while she's here. Hound!" He said, snapping his fingers. The Black Hound grabbed Chunhua by the shoulder, and forced her to her knees, before he leveled his revolver at her skull. "Long as she is in our care, you have no choice but to work on our machine. And I [i]know[/i] you value her life above all else." Blake said. "And if that isn't enough... then, well, we'll just get your daughters. They'll make great [i]moral support.[/i]" That was more than enough to force his hand. "Okay! I'll do what you ask!" "Good, because I see no need to get your children involved when I have your wife!" Blake said, before he snapped his fingers again, and the Hound lifted Chunhua to her feet. "Alright, Hound, escort Chunhua to her quarters. And don't be afraid, Jiao-Long, we won't lay a hand on her - in fact, we'll give her the five-star treatment!" The Hound had escorted Chunhua out of the room... followed by Veronica because she's seen enough. "...That's reassuring." Jiao-Long snarked. "Now, are you ready to get to work?!" Blake cheerfully asked. "With your expertise, it should take around... Eh, a few weeks to finish. If we had some more brilliant minds... like your friend Dr. Cross... this would be much quicker. But, you should get to work! The Blessed Three have business to attend to." Blake said as the Blessed Three marched off. Jiao-Long shook his head. This device might as well be a doomsday device. This was going to end badly for the world... ...But, alas, he has no choice. [hr][hr][i][h1]...[/h1][/i][hr][hider=Amethystium - Ethereal][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Gly1XleRWE[/youtube][/hider][hr] [i][u]The Irish Country-side...[/u][/i] "...Ezekiel." That was enough to make the boy open his eyes. All he could see was the beautiful scenic countryside of Ireland. A place that was green far as the eye could see, and so [i]gorgeous[/i]. This was a sight that few people would kill for. When the boy centered his gaze on the tall, blonde-haired, and blue-eyed woman that looked thick enough to be carrying some hefty left over baby-weight (Meaning she was very curvy). Oddly enough, she was very tall. Like enough to stand out in a crowd at six-two. She had a scarf over her head, and she wore a nice summer dress. A summer breeze came by and reminded the boy of where he was. The woman smiled. "Are you going to sleep under this tree all day, Ezekiel? We have work to do." "Y-yeah," The boy said, getting up and brushing himself off from all the dirt and dust he accumulated from lying here as he looked down. Ezekiel was thirteen years old, and much shorter and scrawnier than he was now. His hair was long, and messy, like he just didn't care about his hair. He wore a T-shirt, and some jean-shorts. The second he stood straight up, his mother turned around, and began marching through the fields. Oh! He almost forgot the book that he was reading - he turned around, snatched it, and ran after her. "You know Ezekiel, you need to stop reading books all day," The woman playfully said. "You're already [i]amazing[/i] as is, but you don't want to get too smart." She laughed. "Y-yeah, mom," Ezekiel said, playfully laughing along with him. "You're a good teacher." "Oh, you flatter me," Ezekiel's mother said. "...But, where did you become so smart?" That made the woman stop in her tracks, as if she vividly recalled something. Her mouth was wide, and her blue eyes stared ahead. That made Ezekiel worried. Very worried. His mother turned her body back towards him, and smiled. "...I'll tell you when you're older." That was the "code" that his mother used when she alluded to her rather ambiguous past. Ezekiel, being the youngest, had no idea what happened before he was even old enough to remember. Just hearing from other siblings that Mom had a "rough past." A past so rough that they have to live out here in seclusion in fear of [i]someone[/i]. Every time she said "I'll tell you when you're older," Ezekiel became even more curious, but alas, there wasn't anything he could say or do to make her budge. Besides... There was nothing to worry about. Even though they were isolated from the rest of the world, they still had peace, and each other. So, there was nothing to worry about. [hr][i][u]Somewhere in Prince-Edfield, Baybridge...[/u][/i] "...[i]Ugh![/i]" Ezekiel loudly groaned as he forced himself awake. That damn dream again. It's been decades, but he still experiences it. Even though he has the world at his fingertips... he still looks back at the past. He grabbed his face, letting out a sharp groan (that was more akin to a growl) as he tried to properly awaken. "...Lord Ezekiel, what's wrong?" One of the Secretaries said, naked as she showed concern for Ezekiel. "... Yes, Ezekiel, you shouldn't stress yourself." Growling, Ezekiel answered. "Just... leave me alone." He got out of the bed, and stormed off. He marched through his room, and eventually walked to the balcony of this massive skyscraper that overlooked the city. He was wearing nothing, and let the breeze hit him... He could never escape the memories of his past. Ezekiel was given everything, but he still longed for that time. He wish he still had the photo, but it must have fell out of his notes when he was recovering them from that whore. Ezekiel leaned up against the balcony, and looked up at the moon. [i]I'll have you back some day.[/i] [hr][hr][i][h1]...[/h1][/i][hr] [i][u]Somewhere in Prince-Edfield, Baybridge...[/u][/i] "How do you like it, princess?" A tall, red-haired man, with green eyes asked a girl - who was around ten years old, wearing a rather gorgeous dress straight out of the wildest Disney movies. It was sky-blue, frilly, and over top of it was a black cloak that was embroiled to look regal. The girl looked exactly like the tall man, and had matching red hair. She looked up at the man. "This is excellent, father." The girl said. "Julia, tonight's the night we've discussed," The man said to her. "The night you prove your genes are as perfect as mine, and take the number-two spot of the Blessed Three." Julia was told so much about what would happen tonight. This would be the night she becomes a real princess, and shows her father that she is the perfect princess. "I am ready." "That's the spirit!" The man laughed, before he grabbed Julia's hand, and lead her through the halls of the Family's skyscraper. Which was lined with all of his secretaries... Well, not all of them. Some were left behind during the schism... the schism in which the foolish members of the Blessed Three were removed from the equation, and left one man, and one man alone. "Personally, I would love to skip this step, because you are perfect enough in my eyes." Julia smiled, as the two reached a very special pair of metal doors. An Arabic woman wearing a form-fitting suit, with black hair walked up, and said. "Master Shane, I see you have Julia." "Of course," Shane said. "... She is ready to be inducted into the Blessed Three." "The Elders will be pleased... I'll take it from here," The Secretary said, and grabbed onto Julia's wrist, and pulled her away. The doors opened, and as they closed, the young Julia felt a sense of dread. "Father..." Julia said. "It'll be okay sweetheart," Shane said. "I'll be right out here waiting for you." He smiled. The doors closed... and Julia was suddenly bathed in a green light. It was entrancing... ... [i]What is it?[/i]